Wire-manipulating device



F. cALDARELLi WIR-E MANIPULATING DEVICE Filed Oct. 11, 1922 Patented May 2t), Ed d.

- 3,494,413 entries.

. 'rensrrn'o CALDARELLI, or nos'ron, MASSACHUSETTS.

WIBE-EIEANIPULATING DEVICE.

Application filed October 113 1922. Serial No. $953,775.

" larlyadapted is the ti htening of tie .wires or bonds employed in olding together the walls of concrete molds.

.One object of the invention is to provide a device of the class described characterized by few parts of sturdy construction and by simplicity and ease of operation so that the ordinary unskilled laborer can operate it. Another object is to provide mechanism by which the operations of gripping, stretching and twisting the wire are performed by rotating the same shaft. A further object is to feed the head forward in proportion to the shortening of the wire produced by the twisting thereof so as to prevent undue strain and possible breakage of the wire. Other objects will be apparent from the detailed description which follows.

In order to illustrate the invent-ion one concrete embodiment thereof is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elcvational view partly in section;

Fig.2 is an end elevational view showing the supporting yoke in section at the bearing for the screw;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view il lustrating one method of supporting a form for concrete floors;

Fig. 4- is a plan view of the usual construction of forms for concrete walls;

Fig. 4 illustrates the method of constructing concrete molds practised by building contractors at the present time. The molds comprise facin boards a and a? lightly nailed to longitudinal battens I) and b which are generally 2 X 4 scantlings. A gauge stick 0 is placed within the mold and the walls a and a are then forced into contact with the gauge stick by. wire tension members generally made in the form of a loop at passln through holes in the walls or through openings between the boards forming the walls, andithen around two of the battens such as b"? and 6 Other tension members such as (2. may extend at right angles to loops 0! and gray be looped around stringers e and c fw ich are in parallelism with facing boards aand at The wire forming the loops d may be crossed as shown within the mold; I

In Fig. 3 is illustrated a method of supporting molds for concrete floors from the I beams of buildings having a steel framework. Here the wires forming the tension loops (1 are looped over the I beam, the ends carried down and looped under the transverse mold support 7 and then carried up and over the K beam where-the ends are twisted together. The work of twisting the ends of the tension loop is frequently dificult when space is limited, and it is not easy to reach the ends of the loop. Sometimes the insertion of wedges under the loop has been resorted to in order to apply the proper tension to the casings of the mold, but this requires skilled workmen and is "laborious and time consuming.

The embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a device for properly tensioning and twisting together the ends of wire loops such as d, d and d of Figs. 3 and i, which can be operated by an unskilled laborer with a minimum of time and trouble. The device comprises a heavy yoke 5 adapted to rest at its ends-against the outer face of one of the battens such as b of Fig. 4., and to be held in place by ofiset extensions (Shaving driving points 7. These driving points are arranged to be driven into the upper edge of the batten. Y

Centrally in yoke 5 ma screw threaded opening 8 is a screw 9 havim an operating handle 10 at one end, and a flanged head 11 at the other end. Engaging the flanged head 11 and rotatable thereon is a chuck comprising a casing 12 and a cone member 13 within which two pivoted jaws 14 can be wedged to engage with each other; and also comprising an internal nut 15 serving as a retainer for casing 12 on the flanged head 11, into which nut takes a screw threaded exten sion 16 of the yoke bearing 17 for the pivot of jaws 14-: p

The cone member 13 of the chuck has a collar 18 fastened thereon, said collar extendin beyond the member and having a close shding fit over casing 11. Pivotcdgior rotative movement on collar 18 by means of a screw bolt 20, the shank of which serves as a pivot, is a lever 21 adapted to be swung to a'position at right angles to the axis of shaft 9 to engage one of the legs of yoke and stop the rotation of the cone member 13 with the chuck.

Suitable means are provided for causing the chuck to rotate with the screw 9. One

form jof means for accomplishing this pur-.

pose comprises a clutch consisting of a pivoted wsprin'g pressed melnber or dog 22 mounted in a'slot-23 in screw shaft 9 adjacent flagged head 11, and arota'table barrel L cam 2gtinthe form of a collar encircling the end "ofscrew shaft 9 between the casing 12 2 hithc chuck and a retainer 25 on the shaft.

Member or dog- 22 cooperates with suitable teeth 26 on casing 12 and is controlled by a f wave cam surface 27 in cam member 2i,'the ,eIlevations-of the cam surface being diametrfically opposed to the depressions thereof was indicated in Fig. -1.

i Proper manipdlation of lever 21 permits \the operation of the jaws 14 to be controlled -byshaft 9. If lever 21 is in engagement of the shaft ,9 is counter-clockwise the jaws 14 will grasp and withdraw or stretch the wire d. If the lever 21 is then moved to the position shown in Fig. 1, the whole structure supported on shaft 9 will rotate in whatever direction the ,shaft is turned. If this direction is clockwise the ends of wires d will twist together and the chuck holding them will move-toward the'batten b on which the yoke is positioned. The pitch of screw 9 is chosen to correspond to the twist pitch of the twist t of wires (5 of standard size. Therefore-the twisting together of the wires (1 takes place without substantial change of the tension of the runs of the loop cl attained when the chuck was backed ofl during the counter-clockwise rotation of shaft 9.

, counter-clockwise direction, restoringlever- 21 to its original position, then unlocking the clutch by a slight rotation of cam memher 24, and applylng tension to wires (5 by backing ofl the chuck by counter-clockwise rotation of shaft 9, the chuck not rotating with the shaft by reason of the throw ing out of the clutch. When the proper tension has been impressed from the loop (1, the clutch is a ain thrown into operation by moving cam 23,1 and then the shaatt 9 is rothe bonds by twisting the wire end caused to seize and tated in a clockwise direction to twist the ends of wire d together while the clutch jaws 14 move inwardly to compensate for further stress due to the twisting together of the wires.

From the above, it will be apparent that the apparatus herein disclosed comprises tion of twisting the ends of the wires to- I gether, are 'efi'ected through the rotation of screw shaft 9 in the proper direction after the proper adjustments of lever 21 and clutch control member 24' are manually made.

I claim 1. The combination of a supporting member, a screw mounted in a threaded bearing in said member, a wire gripping device mounted to rotate on the end of said screw, and means for clutching said device to said screw to rotate therewith. I

2. The combination of a supportin member, a screw mounted in a threaded eating in said member, a .wire gri ping device r0- tatably mounted on the en of said screw,

including movable jaws, and means for closing said jaws togetheron 'reverse rotation of said screw. g

3.111 apparatus fortightening stay wires for concrete forms, in combination, a su porting member adapted to ,rest upon t e' concrete form, a screw mounted in a thread edbearing in said member, wire jaws on one end. of, said screw, an means whereby rotation'of said screw vmay be utill ized selectively to-clcse said jaws together, to retract said jaws from the" form in order to stretch the wires, and to tighten the wires by twisting the ends thereof together while concomitantly feedin the twisted ends of the wire toward the erm.

4-. In apparatus for-tightening stay wires for concrete forma in combination, a su porting member adapted to rest upon t e concrete form, a screw mounted in a threader bearing in said member, a chuck on one end of said screw'having gri ping. jaws, and means on said chuck adapts to engage said member to hold the chuck a ainst rotation" when said jaws are to be c osed to ther or loosened whereby said screw may s rotittedg for the purpose of operating said o no ripping 5. A wire manipulating device for setting up wire bonds under tension ang locking together having therein a gripper head, a screw shaft for the head and a clutch connection between the head may 'th the ends head and shaft, whereby of the bond without twisting, and may be caused to twist the ends of the bond while moving the head in accordance with the shortening of the bond due to twisting.

6. In apparatus for tightening stay wires for concrete forms, in combination, a supporting member adapted to rest upon the concrete form, a screw mounted in a threaded bearing in said member, a chuck on one end of said screw having gripping jaws, and a clutch interposed between said screw and chuck.

7. In apparatus for tightening stay wires for concrete forms, in combination, a supporting member adapted to rest upon the concrete form, a screw mounted in a threaded bearing in said member,a chuck on one end of said screw having gripping jaws, a clutch interposed between said screw and chuck, and means for manually controlling said clutch.

8. In apparatus for tightening stay wires *For concrete forms, in combination, a supporting member adapted to rest upon the concrete form, a screw mounted in a threaded bearing in said member, a chuck on one end of said screw having gripping jaws, a clutch interposed between said screw and chuck and a cam device rotatable on said screw lor manually controlling said clutch.

9. In con'ibination, a supporting member, a screw mounted in a threaded bearing in said member and having a flanged end, a chuck having gripping jaws rotatably mounted upon said flanged end of said screw, and means for selectively clutching said chuck to said screw.

10. In combination, a supporting member, a screw mounted in a threaded bearing in said member and having a flanged end, a

chuclr having gripping jaws rotatablymounted upon said flanged end of said screw, and means for independently and selectively clutching said chuck to said screw including a pivoted dog on one of said last named elements arranged to engage teeth on the other.

11. In combination, a supporting member, a screw mounted in a threaded bearing in said member and having a flanged end. a chuck having gripping jaws rotatably mounted upon said flanged end of said screw, and means for selectively clutching said chuck to said screw including a dog pivoted in a slot in said screw for engagement with teeth on said chuck, and a cam device for controllingsaid do.

12. In combination a support, a screw mounted in a threaded bearing in said support, said screw having a flanged end, a chuck on said screw comprising a casing engaging said flanged end, a conical member on said casing, gripping jaws in said conical member, and a member arranged to retain said casing in place and said jaws within said conical member.

13. In combination, a support, a screw mounted in a threaded bearing in said support, said screw having a flanged end, a chuck on said screw comprising acasing engaging said flanged end, a-conical member on said casing, gripping jaws in said conical member, a retainer for said casing, and

means associated with said retainer and said jaws for adjusting said jaws on relative gnovement of said casing and conical mem- Signed by me at Boston, hlassachusetts, this seventh day of October, 1922.

FAUSTINO CALDARELLI, 

